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Organisation Chart of Inland Revenue Department as at 31.3.2009
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Establishment The Commissioner, the two Deputy Commissioners and five Assistant Commissioners form the top management of Inland Revenue Department.
As at 31 March 2009, the Department had an establishment of 2,818 permanent posts (including 25 posts for directorate officers) in the Commissioner's Office and 6 Units. Of the total, 1,805 posts were in departmental grades (namely Assessor, Taxation Officer and Tax Inspector grades), performing duties directly concerned with taxation. The remaining 1,013 posts were in common / general grades, providing administrative, information technology and clerical support services (Figure 39).
Most of the professional officers serving in the Department were below the age of 45 (Figure 40). The ratio of male to female professional officers was 1:1.4.
Figure 39 Staff establishment
Figure 40 Age profile of professionals (on strength basis)
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Age Group |
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Male |
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Female |
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Total |
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Below 25 |
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8 |
(3%) |
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15 |
(4%) |
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23 |
(3%) |
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25 to below 35 |
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33 |
(12%) |
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94 |
(23%) |
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127 |
(19%) |
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35 to below 45 |
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110 |
(39%) |
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146 |
(36%) |
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256 |
(37%) |
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45 to below 55 |
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115 |
(41%) |
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132 |
(33%) |
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247 |
(36%) |
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55 and over |
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15 |
(5%) |
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16 |
(4%) |
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31 |
(5%) |
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Total |
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281 |
(100%) |
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403 |
(100%) |
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684 |
(100%) |
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Staff Promotions and Turnover
In 2008-09, a total of 45 departmental grades officers and 6 common / general grades officers were promoted. 3 departmental grades officers were promoted to directorate posts and the remaining 42 to non-directorate posts. 136 officers joined the Department, of which 112 were new appointees and 24 were officers transferred from other departments. A total of 88 officers (including 42 transferred to other departments) left the Department.
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Recruitment
 Education and Careers Expo 2009
To introduce the work of the Department and to disseminate career opportunities to the public who might have interest to pursue their career in the Department, the Department participated in the Education and Careers Expo 2009 organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council from 19 to 22 February 2009 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The Department's booth attracted over 12,000 visitors.
PolyU Job Fair 2009
The Department also participated in the PolyU Job Fair 2009 held from 19 to 20 March 2009 at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The Job Fair was a good opportunity for the Department to reach out to the undergraduates who might wish to pursue their career in the Department. The Department's booth attracted more than 1,000 students and visitors. A career talk was also arranged on 19 March 2009 to introduce the Department and career development to the students who might be interested to join the Department after graduation.
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Training and Development
As in the previous years, the Department continues to offer a variety of training courses, including induction courses for all grades of staff upon their joining the Department, two-year taxation law and practice course for the newly appointed assistant assessors, briefing sessions for implementation of legislative amendments or launching of new services, oral English, English writing skills, performance management, supervisory management, Putonghua and computer, etc. In 2008-09, a total of 8,460 man-days were undertaken by staff which is equivalent to about 3 man-days per staff.
New Training Initiatives
In 2008-09, the Department designed a series of new training initiatives to mid-career officers to refresh their professional knowledge and to enhance their soft skills for the performance of their duties. The programme included refresher courses on professional knowledge, leadership and teambuilding and management training. Assistant Commissioners of respective Units were invited to conduct those refresher courses. With the help of the Civil Service Training and Development Institute (CSTDI), we organised our first leadership and teamwork workshop at Sai Kung Outdoor Recreation Centre to enhance the officers' leadership skills and raise team spirit by experiential learning through games and outdoor activities. An effective negotiation skills workshop was specially designed for our officers working in Investigation and Field Audit Section to improve their negotiation skills. In view of the unique job nature, a senior officer was invited to conduct the case study session with the trainer of CSTDI.
Mentoring
To provide new colleagues with support on an informal and personal basis, a Mentorship Scheme for Assistant Assessors was launched in October 2008. The objective of this scheme is to provide newly recruited Assistant Assessor (mentee) advice and guidance by a more experienced officer (mentor) so as to broaden the perception of mentees about the Department and thus help them integrate better into the civil service. Since launched, 39 Assistant Assessors had joined the scheme and they were placed under the mentorship of 20 Assessors, 5 Senior Assessors and 1 Assistant Commissioner. To enhance the understanding of the mentors on mentoring, we organised a workshop on mentoring to discuss the essential skills on coaching. We also invited our Departmental Secretary and our Assistant Departmental Secretary to share their experience on the similar scheme in EO Grade. The Mentorship Scheme Launching Ceremony was officiated by the Commissioner of Inland Revenue in January 2009.
Continuing Professional Education
During the year, 14 seminars were held under the in-house Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Programme. The seminars covered a wide range of subjects including customer service, SME Financial Reporting – International and Hong Kong Development, update on the Mainland of China and Hong Kong Double Taxation Arrangement, New Corporate Income Tax Law of PRC, tax avoidance and computer forensics, etc. Speakers for 8 of the seminars were staff members and the other 6 were experts from various fields. A total of 2,409 staff attended these seminars. The video files of the CPE seminars were uploaded onto the Intranet so that all officers can view these seminars at their convenient time.
Overseas and China Training
Opportunities are given to our professional officers to participate in overseas training programmes to broaden their horizon and enhance their knowledge on the increasing number of new global issues. During 2008-09, 27 professional officers attended overseas courses in the United States of America, Vietnam, Korea, Singapore and Malaysia. In addition, 8 professional officers attended national studies course at Peking University, Tsinghua University, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School and Guangzhou Sun Yat-sen University, 1 professional officer attended the Thematic Study Programme - Architecture, Heritage and Conservation in Nanjing and Suzhou while another attended the Thematic Study Programme - Urban Greening in Urumqi and Shehezi.
Continuous Learning
Continuous learning is important as our staff must keep abreast of the changing environment and build up their knowledge to deal with their daily work. Apart from providing conventional classroom-type training, the Department also employs various means in promoting the culture of continuous self-learning. These include encouraging staff to take the web courses provided by the CLC Plus of CSTDI and providing financial support to officers to attend seminars and courses organised by academic and professional institutes. During 2008-09, 34 officers were sponsored by the Department to attend these courses. Training materials on technical issues were uploaded onto our Intranet for further study. This provides an effective way for the staff to acquire new knowledge and review what they have learnt.
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Staff Relations and Welfare
Inland Revenue Department attaches great importance to staff relations and welfare. Maintaining effective communication with staff at all levels and promoting co-operation and mutual trust between the staff and management are of utmost importance in enhancing the Department's operational efficiency and productivity.
The Departmental Consultative Committee (DCC)
The Departmental Consultative Committee provides a formal and effective forum for management and staff to exchange views on topics of mutual concern such as recruitment, promotion, career posting, training, working environment, staff welfare, office security and safety. The Committee is chaired by the Deputy Commissioner (Operations) and comprises representatives from all staff unions / associations and staff groups in the Department.
The General Grades Consultative Committee (GGCC)
Staff members of the secretarial and clerical grades continue to make good use of the GGCC, which was first set up in 1999, to discuss with the management issues of specific interest to their grades.
The "Meet-the-Staff Programme"
First launched in 1996-97, the programme enables the senior management of each Unit and staff of different groups to meet regularly and exchange views on departmental and service wide issues in an open and relaxed manner. It serves to supplement the formal consultative channel and effectively enhances communication between the staff and management.
The IRD Staff Suggestions Scheme
During 2008-09, 3 out of 6 suggestions received were granted different levels of cash awards and certificates of commendation in recognition of their contributions to enhancing operational efficiency and quality of service.
The Inland Revenue Department Newsletter
 Published quarterly, the departmental newsletter is another channel of communication between the staff and management and serves to promote a sense of belonging in the Department. Service related issues, staff welfare, occupational and safety matters are disseminated through articles and contributions from staff and unit management. The newsletter also provides a regular roundup on the recreational activities organised by the Department's Sports Association as well as volunteer activities organised by the Department's Volunteer Team.
The Inland Revenue General Staff Welfare Fund (IRGSWF)
The Inland Revenue General Staff Welfare Fund was established voluntarily by a group of staff in 1972. It operates on funds donated by staff on a voluntary basis. With the endorsement of the Claims Sub-committee, which is formed to consider applications for financial assistance, small amounts of interest-free loans and grants can be provided as an additional, quick source of emergency relief to help staff with unexpected financial difficulties.
Commissioner's Commendation Letter Scheme
In 2008-09, 63 officers who had provided outstanding service for a reasonably long period of time were awarded the Commissioner's Commendation Letter in recognition of their exemplary performance in the Civil Service. The presentation ceremony was held in March 2009.
 SCS's Commendation Award 2008
In 2008, 3 officers in the Department (including 1 Senior Assessor, 1 Senior Taxation Officer and 1 Senior Clerical Officer) were awarded the SCS's Commendation in recognition of their consistently outstanding service and exemplary performance. The presentation ceremony was held in November 2008.
The Long and Meritorious Service Travel Awards Scheme
In 2008-09, 37 officers with long and meritorious service were granted awards of overseas travel, together with their spouses, under the Long and Meritorious Service Travel Award Scheme.
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The IRD Sports Association
The Sports Association plays a very important role in fostering staff relationship and sense of belonging. A wide range of indoor and outdoor activities was organised to enrich the intellectual, social and athletic interests of its members. The activities were well received by colleagues and their family members.
In addition, to celebrate the Department's 60th anniversary, the Association co-organised a series of commemorative activities, including the tree planting day, re-union tea party, exhibition and seminars, variety show and annual dinner 2008. Over 720 guests and colleagues forming 60 tables joined the annual dinner and had a very enjoyable evening.
The Association also actively took part in various fund-raising activities like "Medecins Sans Frontieres Day" and "ORBIS Pin Campaign". In May 2008, a donation drive was launched to raise funds for the victims of Sichuan earthquake. More than $700,000 was raised. The Association received a number of awards as a result of the colleagues' generosity and enthusiasm.
The IRD Volunteer Team under the auspices of the Association is an active participant in numerous community works, extending care and love to the less fortune in the society. In 2008-09, 190 colleagues participated in various kinds of voluntary services, recording a total of 4,213 hours of service. In recognition of the Volunteer Team's continuous efforts in caring the community, the Hong Kong Council of Social Service awarded the "Caring Organisation Logo" to the Department. This marks the fourth consecutive year in which the Department was granted the award.
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